New Crystal Palace boss Hodgson keen on signing Jack Wilshere

Newly appointed Crystal Palace boss, Roy Hodgson, is reportedly plotting a move to sign Jack Wilshere from Arsenal during the January transfer window.

The former England boss has been unveiled as the new man in charge at Palace this week following Frank De Boer’s sacking after only four league games and the experienced manager will now be expected to lift the Eagles from the bottom of the table in the coming weeks.

The recently departed De Boer had to endure a terrible start to life with Palace after his team failed to register a single point in their first four Premier League matches and to exacerbate matters, the Eagles also failed to find the back of the net on even one occasion.

Palace were expected to play a much more attacking brand of football schooled in the mold of the Dutch style under De Boer and the former Dutch international had come in at Selhurst Park with a fine reputation, having managed the Ajax team to four consecutive league triumphs while employing the fabled Total Football style.

However, Palace were uninspiring during De Boer’s tenure and with Eagles having missed a wonderful chance to claim victory against Burnley last weekend – the club hierarchy decided to call time on the 47-year-old’s stay in South London.

As a result, the Eagles hiring Hodgson is perhaps understandable as he is an entirely different sort of manager compared to his predecessor.

The 70-year-old is a very pragmatic tactician who believes in direct reactive type of football rather than a slow passing style and the Palace players are probably more suited to the style of play that the ex-Fulham manager usually adopts.

Nonetheless, Hodgson will now have to build the team of his image by signing the players that fit into his philosophy and the veteran boss has allegedly already laid plans to sign a high-profile player during the January transfer window in the form of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere to help his new team play to his liking.

Wilshere has struggled for regular first team football at Arsenal due to a host of persistent injuries and it is believed that the 25-year-old could be allowed to leave the Emirates Stadium on a permanent basis if a good offer comes along.

Hodgson knows Wilshere well from their time together for the England national team and the midfielder would perhaps be open to joining the Eagles this winter. Upon his appointment, Hodgson had acknowledged that his first priority would be to keep Palace in the Premier League and the arrival of Wilshere will surely help him do that.

The 70-year-old had said, “The pressure has always been there and it’ll only get stronger. The money improves every year and the thought of relegation gets more and more frightening for the teams that are going to be threatened by it, so there’s no doubt the pressure has increased.

“But you take on every job knowing what the benefits and the shortfalls and problems are likely to be and I go into this job with open eyes, with great enthusiasm and a great energy which has certainly been boosted by the fact I’ve had a bit of time away from the game.

“It will be tough, of course, but it won’t just be tough for us, it’ll be tough for a few teams. We’re four games in and the start has been a poor one, we can’t deny that, but there’s 38 games in the league season and there’s 34 more to play and quite frankly the relegation issues are not going to be decided this side of Christmas, they’re probably not going to be decided this side of Easter.

“I’m certain we will pull away from the mire and I’m very confident the players we have here will help us achieve our goal, which is to make certain we don’t get relegated.”